When the Cleveland Browns acquired former Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and three draft picks in exchange for Myles Garrett back on June 1, there was no debating the team’s long-range vision.
Verse arrived in Berea with two Pro Bowl nods in as many seasons. The 25-year-old edge defender wasn’t eligible for a contract extension, but he will be in 2027. Barring the unforeseen, the most predictable outcome was Cleveland picking up Verse’s fifth-year option next spring before negotiating a new market-setting deal.
We might actually be approaching that unforeseen gray area, per Browns salary cap expert Jack Duffin.
In his latest for the Orange and Brown Report, Duffin wrote about Verse’s looming fifth-year option, which is currently projected to be a fully guaranteed $27.9 million that would be paid in 2028. Verse qualifies for the largest tier as a multi-time Pro Bowler.
The issue right now is that Verse isn’t producing like a player in that pay range. His pressure rate with Cleveland is down significantly from his first two years with the Los Angeles Rams, from 16% of snaps to 6.6%. Verse has yet to record a sack in his first seven games and 300 defensive snaps as a Brown.
Cleveland could stick to its plan, pick up Verse’s option and bank on his undeniable talent winning out in the end. He’s a young player who’s still learning a new defensive scheme.
But based on what we’ve seen so far, Duffin believes declining Verse’s fifth-year option — which would send him into 2027 on a short-money, expiring contract — is now on the table.
“Hypothetically if Verse continues on his current trend it is best to avoid picking up the fifth year option,” Duffin wrote. “The $28m fifth year option due to his two Pro Bowls is based on the 2027 franchise tag. So they could let him play out his deal in 2027 and then decide if they want to keep him. If he proves his worth then agreeing a multi year extension would be the direction, with the protection of a franchise tag.”
Edge rusher has become a glaring roster need for the Browns — for the 2026 trade deadline and the 2027 NFL Draft
In a report published by ESPN this week on the top 25 players most likely to be moved at this year’s trade deadline, the Browns were mentioned as potential suitors for three of them: Jermaine Johnson II, YaYa Diaby, and Khalil Mack.
All three are veteran edge defenders, and that’s hardly a coincidence.
Verse has certainly done his thing as a true edge-setting defensive end, once again ranking inside the top 10 of ESPN’s edge run stop win rate leaders. But per Pro Football Focus, he’s currently on pace to finish the 2026 season with less than 30 QB pressures (29.1). PFF charted him for 100 pressures in 2025 and 89 during his rookie season in 2024.
Right now, it’s almost impossible to see the Browns signing Verse to anything close to Will Anderson’s $50 million per year with over $100 million fully guaranteed. The league’s top-five average of $44.52 million also feels like a stretch.
For that reason, Duffin believes defensive end will be a priority for the Browns in the 2027 draft. Cleveland has gotten strong returns from Isaiah McGuire, but he’s currently playing on an expiring contract, and veteran edge Alex Wright is on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon.
“Drafting an edge high makes sense so that they can get more help in the position room,” Duffin wrote. “Regardless of Verse succeeding or not, getting another edge that can produce is a need regardless of him staying or leaving after the 2027 season.”
The Browns would be walking a fine line by declining Verse’s fifth-year option
If the Browns find themselves declining Verse’s fifth-year option amid extension talks next offseason, they would obviously risk alienating the player.
The bulk of rookie contracts are paid out in Year 1. In a hypothetical situation where the Browns decline the fifth-year option in May and ask Verse to play out the final year of his contract, he would be playing for $2.8 million, according to Spotrac.
That’s not happening.
The Browns will most likely find themselves picking up the fifth-year option prior to the annual May 1 deadline and agreeing to a multi-year extension. If Verse ends up having a major down year in 2026 in terms of production, it’s possible they can get some form of a discount.
Verse was the asset that tipped the scales on the Garrett trade for Andrew Berry and Browns leadership. It’s hard to see them bailing on their initial plan when the team is winning and the defense is sporting a top-five success rate.
Berry has talked a lot about Cleveland’s timeline, and Verse is as big a part of that now as anyone on the roster. The guess here is that the Browns won’t play hardball on the contract, but a couple more impactful games, like the home opener against Carolina, would go a long way toward easing fans’ concerns.
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